After edging past China 4-3 in the campaign opener, the Indian men’s hockey team once again bagged a hard-fought three points against Japan with a 3-2 win in the ongoing Hero Asia Cup 2025 in Rajgir. Japan came into this match after a thumping 7-0 victory over Kazakhstan in their opening fixture.
Craig Fulton’s boys started strong, taking only four minutes to open the scoring. Sukhjeet Singh’s pass from the left flank was controlled well by Mandeep Singh right in front of the Japanese goal. With a swift turn, he got rid of the defender and finished into the net to score India’s first field goal of the competition. Before the start of the game, Indian head coach Fulton had said, “We need to try to score field goals.” All four goals in the match against China had come through penalty corners—three from captain Harmanpreet Singh and one from Jugraj Singh.
The second goal of the day again came from a penalty corner, with Harmanpreet once more on the score sheet. A series of four back-to-back penalty corners piled the pressure on the Japanese defence, and India’s top drag-flicker made no mistake in converting on the fourth attempt. His low finish doubled India’s lead within eight minutes of the first quarter.
The second quarter was relatively less action-packed. Both sides had their fair share of chances but failed to convert. India’s experienced custodian, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, made some fantastic saves, proving his mettle in goal. At the start of the game, Pathak was felicitated by Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey and Secretary General Bholanath Singh to mark his 150th appearance for the national team.
Sukhjeet Singh came close to scoring another field goal, but his attempt went wide. The first half finished 2-0 in favour of the home side.
The third quarter saw Japan take control of the game on several occasions, making penetrations and regrouping swiftly to neutralise India’s attacks. Their breakthrough came in the 8th minute of the quarter, as No. 24 Kosei Kawabe pulled one back for his team. He received the ball inside the circle and shielded it smartly, keeping Abhishek behind him. A swift turn opened up an acute angle, and a powerful strike went past Jugraj and Pathak to make it 2-1 for the visitors.
India, much like in the first match, missed several chances on Sunday. A powerful strike from Mandeep was brilliantly blocked by the Japanese goalkeeper, though it could have been dealt with better by the Indian forward. Once again it was skipper Harmanpreet who had to step up, converting from a penalty corner right at the end of the quarter. Injected by Hardik Singh, Harmanpreet sent the ball into the back of the net through the goalkeeper’s legs. Suraj Karkera replaced Pathak in goal and was immediately tested, making two crucial saves – one from a penalty and another from the rebound.
The fourth quarter turned into a nail-biting encounter, evenly poised between the two sides. On several occasions, Japan came close to reducing the gap, but Karkera stood firm at the Indian goal. With just two minutes to go, a shot from outside the circle hit the Indian post and deflected to Kawabe. The young Japanese forward made no mistake in scoring with a sharp turn, his second field goal of the night.
The last minute was a tense affair for India, especially as skipper Harmanpreet had to go off the field after receiving a yellow card. But it ended 3-2 in India’s favour, as Fulton’s boys rose to the top of the table in Group A.
They next face Kazakhstan on Monday at 7:30 pm.
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